In Time Of War
by Khrat9
Summary: "If I kick enough asses I might even end up Hokage!   How naïve he was./ Spoiler chapter 574


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

English is not my mother tongue. Please bear with me. Enjoy!

He lied down on the ground. The sun was shinning. It warmed his skin from the inside out. He could feel the wind blowing lightly on his face, messing slightly with his hair. He smiled. The sky was beautiful. It was a light shade of blue with clouds straying here and there. If Shikamaru were here, he would lay down with him like they used to do when they were young and they would watch the sky for hours, even though he was much more the action type. Yeah, Shikamaru would have loved it. With his new position in the Fourth Ninja War, he had barely the time now. He was, after all, the proxy Commander of the Fourth Division. He remembered how proud he was when Shikamaru got promoted. It only pushed him to be stronger, to fight better and help his friends as long as he could.

When the war began, they have been scattered all around. Commander Mifune had sent him fight alongside the Second Division. They were so many Zetsus that he couldn't even count how many he killed. He remembered a sentence he said at the very beginning of the war. "_If I kick enough asses I might even end up Hokage! » _How naïve he was. When the real fight began, all he could think of was how glad he was to still be alive. When he first saw all those white Zetsus coming out of the ground he was overcome by fear. Fear of dying, fear of blood, fear of pain. For a second, he wished to be young again. He wished he could still be the kid who ran along the street of Konoha, laughing with his friends, to prank the shopkeepers and still be innocent. But he couldn't be paralysed by fear so he resorted to count each kill one by one. It gave him a sense of accomplishment, one down another to go. It was that easy.

The fear only made him fight harder. He was fighting for all the shinobi world, for Konoha, for his friends. He was fighting for a chance to live. He couldn't lose hope. He couldn't lose faith. He had a responsibility towards all the people who were waiting back in Konoha. A responsibility towards all the children who were eager to prank their shopkeepers, to be able to laugh freely. It was his chance to shine, to be their hero. Like Naruto was theirs when he saved them from Pein. It always amazed him how Naruto became this true hero when he was always called the dead last when they were younger. And he had to say that he also used to think that Naruto was an idiot. An incompetent shinobi who had to pranks others to show his existence. But growing up, he was proved a millionth time how wrong he was. How wrong everyone was. Naruto never stops to impress him; he never stops to get stronger, to fight for what he believed in and from the dead last, he became someone to look up to. Hinata was right from the beginning. He remembered how he used to tease her about her love for Naruto. He was simply jealous that Naruto could hold the attention of such a pretty girl. And to say that now, Naruto was fighting against the masked Madara to save all of them...

A cough overcame him. The cough was so violent it bent him over. Something sticky stained his hands. He knew the smell. Blood. And even he knew that coughing up blood was bad. He tried to stand up but the ground felt shaky or rather it was his whole body that was trembling. He lied down and pulled at the kunai embedded in his thigh and his chest. He tried to heal himself with some jutsu Hinata taught him but he didn't have the strength to channel enough chakra in his hands so he pulled at his shirt and tied it around his thigh. But he couldn't do anything for the large gash on his chest. Pressing his hands against it was all he could do. How frustrating. He wanted to be strong, to be the one you could count on. He wanted to help his friends who were fighting in the battlefield. And here he was, alone, on the forest's floor, dying. He didn't want to go down like this. If he had to die, he had always imagined it quick and painless. Of course, there was always the possibility of being captured by the enemy and be tortured by them, but then, he knew he wouldn't talk. He would rather kill himself than betray his village. It was a matter of pride. And proud, he was. Some people called him arrogant. And yes, when he was young he was rather arrogant. But now he likes to think that he is too proud to go down like that.

He inhaled deeply and stood up. He leaned on a tree and tried to fill his lungs of air but he coughed. Blood splattered on the ground. He took one step and fell on the ground. He was too weak. It was too late for him and he knew it. He had fought so hard. He couldn't die like this. He refused to die like this. Alone. This war was a curse. It was draining the life of so many shinobis. How many have died in this war? How many would be remembered? He didn't want to be another name added to the Memorial Stone. He wanted to live!

He crawled out of the battlefield where he had been trapped. The enemy had mined the field where they were all rushing in to help Naruto. It was butchery. They were all forced to scatter and that was their biggest mistake. White Zetsus were waiting for them. He lost sight of Shino who was slightly before him but his nose could still detect him. He was not dead. And as suddenly as the first mines blew out, white Zetsus fell upon them. He had been tackled to the ground and only pure reflex saved his life and killed the white Zetsu. But then, many more came out the woods and surrounded him. He did the best he could to fight them off but they kept coming and coming. He thought he would never see the end of it. But he kept on fighting until all he could see was blood, until all he could feel were his arms moving with deadly accuracy. It was all he could do.

He coughed. His face pressed against the ground, he smiled, glad that his faithful friend wouldn't see him die. He wondered where Akamaru was now. Sending Akamaru find help was the best decision he made. When Akamaru would reach the medics, his wounds to the stomach and snout would be taken care of. During the battle, Akamaru received blows that throw him down on the ground and for a second he really thought the worse had happened. But then Akamaru barked he was okay and kept on fighting. At this moment, he was so proud of his boy.

When the battle ended, Akamaru wouldn't leave his side when he collapsed from his injury, he came licking his face, pleading him to stand and climb on his back so that they could get help. But he knew better. Akamaru's wound to the stomach was to close to his heart, adding weight on his back would have worsened his injury. And without him on his back, Akamaru would travel faster through the trees without the fear of him sliding down his back. It really was the best decision. He turned on his back so that he could watch the sky. How long was Akamaru gone? It felt like an eternity. A shiver ran through his body. He was suddenly so cold.

There were too many injured people. There was too much blood. The mines killed a lot of people but injured far more. She couldn't process all of it. Her movements were mechanical. She tried to heal everyone but she couldn't and it killed her a bit more from the inside. There were some shinobis that were brought to her but she couldn't do anything for them. Some were already dead. Shizune gave her orders. She had to prioritize. She had to heal first the ones who could still fight. It was cruel but they were in time of war. At first, she had protested, saying that they should heal everyone equally, that the only things they had to do was to heal and not to decide who was to live or not. But the reality hit her harder than she thought. Her own limits were made obvious. She couldn't heal everyone without risking her own life.

As she was closing the eyes of another dead shinobi. A bark rang in the forest. No, it was a howl! Sakura, amidst all the craziness happening around her, clearly heard this call. She lifted her head up toward the trees and saw something white head straight towards her. Another bark rang and she stood up. Somehow, she knew something bad had happened. She could tell only by the sound of it. Akamaru landed just in front of her. He was covered in blood. And she could read in his eyes a certain urgency, a kind of despair. She expected to find Kiba in his wake but there was no one else. Akamaru was tugging at her sleeve desperately, telling her to follow him. And then, she knew. Kiba was in danger. But first, she had to find out if all the blood on him was his and if it was, it was urgent to heal him first.

"Akamaru? Akamaru stop! I have to heal you first! "

But Akamaru wouldn't have any of it. He pushed her legs with his head pleading her to move. Crouching down, she took Akamru's head in her hands.

"Akamaru, I have to find out if you are hurt first. Do you understand me? You are no use to Kiba if I can't find him and you can only help me if you are at least alright. "

Akamaru whined but let himself be patted and healed. She could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"It's alright, Akamaru. I'll be quick. I promise. "

She found a large gash on his belly that was close to his heart. She healed it, thanking the Gods for the training Hana gave her at the beginning of her training with Tsunade.

"Okay, Akamaru we can go now! »

Akamaru rushed out toward the forest. Sakura followed him at once. When Akamaru began to slow down, she could see what a battle Akamaru and his master had lead against the enemy. Trees were torn from their root. Blood were splattered everywhere one the beat up ground. It was a mess. Akamaru landed toward something dark. He was licking it, whining loudly. She immediately ran toward it. He was facing the sky, with a smile on his face.

"Kiba! Kiba! It's Sakura! Do you hear me? Come on Kiba! Hold on! Do you hear me? I won't let you die! Akamaru would never forgive me! Come on Kiba! Fight through it, Kiba fight! "

She kept on channelling chakra in her hands. She refused to let him die. But he was already so cold. She couldn't even hear his heart. Tears of rage escaped from her eyes. Near her, Akamaru was howling desperately, surrounding Kiba with his limbs. But as she was slowly abandoning, Kiba coughed up blood. It gave her hope. Somehow, he had heard her. Somehow, he had refused to die.

"Come back to me, Kiba! It's okay, we are here now. "


End file.
